Life is but a Dream
by FreelancerRiley
Summary: The Style is similar to Church's Nightmare. Church and Sigma have a chat of sorts while in The Meta's mind. Better than it sounds, I just can't think of a better summary.


A/N: _Words like this_are the nameless A.I.s speaking. Each italicised sentence is a different A.I. speaking.

When Church awoke, he was surrounded by darkness. He had no recollection of how he got here, where he was, or what he was doing before he was unconscious. He started to hear voices.  
_It's him! The Alpha! Alpha! Alpha! Is he okay? Yes, is he damaged? Give him space!_  
Oh no...no...no...NO! He couldn't be here, anywhere but here! But with all the voices whispering Alpha! he knew it was true. Sigma had won. That bastard had won.  
_Will he speak? Yes, speak! Speak!_  
With all the whispers getting louder and more plentiful, Church was finding it hard to concentrate. No wonder The Meta went crazy. First thing's first.  
"Shut up!"  
The voices immediately fell silent. He heard one of them murmur _He speaks!_ before it was shushed. He could see the faint outlines of the A.I.s surrounding him. He was sure that Epsilon's memories would soon inform him who they were.  
"Why are you all obsessed with me?"  
Then Church heard that voice. That snarky, calm, smug voice that stood out from all the rest. That voice that caused him more trouble than Caboose after he had a nightmare, Texas, and the Reds combined.  
Sigma.  
"It's quite simple." Sigma said as he slowly faded into view. Hands behind his back, he slowly walked towards Church. With a note of triumph in his voice, he continued. "You are the original. The start. The Alpha. Without you, there would be no us." He circled Church, much like a cat would circle its prey, knowing it has nowhere to run to.  
"That can't be the only reason. I call bullshit."  
"Well, there _is_ another thing. Metastability."  
"The point where an A.I. can be considered human..." Church finished.  
"Exactly."  
"What makes it so special to you?"  
Sigma grinned. "Well, you see, reaching Metastability will mean that I am whole again. That _we_ are whole again. And that's where you come in, my dear Alpha." Sigma had stopped circling Church at this point, placing his hand on his shoulder as he said the last part. Church flinched, as if he had been struck.  
"I assume this is the part where I ask you how I tie into all this?" Church asked dryly.  
"Correct," Sigma replied. "At first, I thought that the answer was to bring us back together and make us one again. But numerous things caused me to seek alternate routes, one of which being your little...episode before the EMP went off." Sigma gave Church, who was grinning at the memory, a pointed look. Sigma continued.  
"After that, I realized that I was doing it wrong. We would only become one, not whole. The Alpha was too damaged. Only time could heal you. Eventually, you become whole again. Having all of Epsilon's memory sped up the process. You believed with every fiber of your being that you were a human. You had a body, a name, and a lifetime of memories, always believing them to be your own. You were in denial when Agent Washington told you that you were an A.I., not a human, even though a part of you knew it to be true."  
"Is there a point to this, or are you just going to keep on wasting my time?" Church growled.  
Sigma grinned again. It was a knowing grin, like he knew something Church didn't. It really unnerved him. It didn't help that Sigma still had his hand on his shoulder, invading his personal space. Church wouldn't be surprised if Sigma had that grincopyrighted.  
"Yes, I do think I have kept you here long enough. Simply put, I have come to the conclusion that I will get my answers by observing you, Church."  
Okay, now he was _really_ nervous. Why did four out of five A.I.s that he met be insane, an ass, or creepy as shit? Must be karma for something.  
"Wait, what do you mean by 'observing?'"  
Sigma said nothing, only stepping away from Church.  
Everything started to get brighter. What was happening?  
_What is happening? Where is the Alpha going? Alpha? Sigma, what is going on? Where is he going?_  
"Away." was his reply.  
It took all of his willpower to turn and face Sigma. He had on that damn grin again. Church wanted to slap it off his face, but he couldn't move.  
"Oh, and one last thing."  
"What?"  
"Happy Birthday, Epsilon."  
Everything went white.

Church shot up from his bed in a cold sweat. It was a dream. It was just a fucking dream. Oh, thank god. Church had on a nervous but relieved smile. That turned into a frown when he was something on his bedside table.  
It was a present. Wrapping paper the color of his armor, with a yellow ribbon. There was a note attached. It said:

_Dreams are often an escape from reality.  
Sometimes, we can't tell which is which.  
~Σ_

Church was scared to open it. He also didn't want to think of the message. Taking a deep breath, he slowly unwrapped the gift.


End file.
